How Leaving The Nest Changed Me, And What Made Me Realise That

Leaving the nest is a significant step for birds, and well, humans. I know because I have felt it firsthand. We’re human beings, and although all of us are unique and different, one thing remains common. We crave change and growth. Seeing the world and moving about in it is the easiest way to do just that. A couple of recent events made me realise this very fact.

My neighbourhood in Dehradun isn’t the best place to live in. In fact, ever since my brother and I were kids, my mother’s prime conquest was to make sure we never became too involved with the other children. It’s not my place to say who is a bad influence or who is not but I thank my mother whenever I see a circle where no one has grown, delinquency is prevalent, and well, nothing good is happening when it comes to everything.

The other day at a social gathering with some close family friends, my brother and I were invited to the room. The room is a place in India where the younger folk have a drink because they don’t want their parents to see them drinking.

This has never happened in my family. That is because the environment is way more open and honest. There is no room because I can have a drink in front of my parents. In fact, my father was the person who made me my first one when he thought I was ready for it.

That evening, however, we were in the room. These were people my age, people my brother’s age, people older than the both of us and it was aggravating to see how beautifully they wasted those bottles. A drink that is just had for the sake of it isn’t a drink, after all. Good booze enhances the moment, it isn’t the moment on its own, it could never be.

As we had our sips, my brother and I realised that most of these people had nothing to talk about anyway. Perhaps, we’ve just become used to having a quality conversation. If you were to pay me to sit in that gathering and have a couple of drinks again, I probably wouldn’t do it. It was a small room full of people with even smaller minds. They are not bad people, obviously. However, there was something very off-putting about the things they said, the way they said those things and so on.

We talked to our father about this and he said this, “You’ve gone around, seen and met hundreds of people. I can bet you most of these young men haven’t even left this neighbourhood”. He was right. It wasn’t for the lack of opportunity too, most of them are from families who do well financially. It’s just that they didn’t leave the nest when they could. As a result, their conversations stopped where ours didn’t even begin. They stopped right there, in that neighbourhood.

We left at the first opportunity.

I realised two things that evening. Firstly, your parents know what is the best for you, especially when you’re just growing up. Secondly, I was glad I left that neighbourhood and that city. The last three years, including the little trips peppered all over, have expanded my horizons and continue to do so. It is in leaving my city that I fell in love with it, after all.

The world is the best teacher and I’ve only been to so many places and met only so many people. I’m about to leave a nest again and I’ll continue to do so because it’s worth it.